Indiana's Dan Coats should say so long to Trump after Putin meeting

U.S. lawmakers are criticizing President Trump, saying he missed an opportunity to hold Russia accountable for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
USA TODAY

In this March 6, 2018, file photo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Coats warned July 13, 2018, that cyber threat warnings are “blinking red” with daily attempts by Russia and other foreign actors trying to undermine American democracy as well as water, aviation and electric systems.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)

If he had any backbone at all, Indiana's Dan Coats, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, would have his resignation on President Donald Trump’s desk, just as quickly he can write, “Я бросил.”

“I quit.”

The extraordinary display in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, undermined the credibility of not just the entire American intelligence community, but also the credibility of Coats, who according to Trump is no more believable than Vladimir Putin.

“My people came to me, Dan Coats, came to me and some others they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia,” Trump told the international media following his one-on-one meeting with the Russian tyrant.

“I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be. … I have confidence in both parties,” he went on to say.

Let’s just say it. For an American president to stand on foreign soil and say that the CIA, the NSA, and the FBI have no more credibility in his mind than the tyrannical leader of Russia, who was born of the KGB, is outrageous.

It’s long been the policy of American politicians to not speak ill of the other party while overseas — we fight like cats and dogs at home but we show a unified face while we’re in other countries. But Trump wasn’t even questioning or throwing shade at the Democrats.

He was questioning and throwing shade at his own administration.

“I have confidence in both parties,” he said in trying to raise doubt that the Russians interfered in America’s 2016 elections, as if acknowledging that would throw his victory and his own legitimacy into doubt.

It’s hard to tell if Trump's line smacks more of Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister who promised “peace in our time” after signing the Munich Agreement with Nazi Germany, or Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian politician who actively conspired with the Nazis.

He bragged about his electoral victory and attacked Hillary Clinton on the issue of her email server. He questioned the findings of the FBI.

And while he said he had “confidence” in both the American community and in Putin, he seemed to side more with the Russians. “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that tried to hack our elections.

Standing a few feet away from Trump, Putin even warned against trusting either one of them.

“As to who is to be believed and to who is not to be believed, you can trust no one,” Putin said. “He defends the interests of the United States of America. And I do defend the interests of the Russian Federation."

On this, however, it’s hard to tell whether Trump is defending the interests of the United States — or if he’s defending his own interests, and Putin’s as well.

But knowing that Trump trusts him no more than he trusts Putin, Indiana’s Coats ought not stick around to find out.

Joseph Gerth's opinion column runs on most Sundays and at various times throughout the week. He can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/josephg.